Plan reviewed

Portland Board of Aviation will be ready to vote on its capital improvement plan next month.

Jason Clearwaters of engineering firm Butler, Fairman & Seufert gave a brief overview of the plan during the board’s meeting Wednesday, with few changes from previous versions.

The plan calls for apron expansion construction in 2024. Clearwaters also reported that a meeting is being planned for next week to walk the airport grounds and discuss the planned apron expansion project. It is part of the process of designing the expansion, which is set to go out for bid in the spring.

Clearwaters said he expects a total of $1.65 million in grant funding to be available for the project. The local match from the city would be about $53,000.

Design of runway rehabilitation for the original 4,000 feet of the runway — it was extended to 5,500 feet last year — is scheduled for 2025, with the runway project work to follow in 2026. Rehabilitation of the existing apron would be designed in 2027 and completed in 2028. Design of wildlife control measures would follow in 2029.

Board members Faron Parr, Clyde Bray, Caleb Lutes and John Ferguson had also previously discussed the construction of a snow removal equipment building. Clearwaters suggested they look at 2026 for that project, using funds from the final two years of the 2021 federal infrastructure bill.

“That’s what I intend to bring next month for your final review and approval, unless there’s anything you want to change,” said Clearwaters. “I believe it’s in line with what we’ve talked about the last couple months. It generally stays the course with what we’ve had in previous years.”

The board did not request any changes.

The capital improvement plan is due to the Federal Aviation Administration by Dec. 1.

In other business, the board:

•Was updated from airport manager Hal Tavzel and Clearwaters on their recent visit to the Aviation Indiana annual conference. At the conference they met with their airport’s new FAA representative Jeremy Riley.

•Heard from Portland clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips that letters regarding the airport’s $10 per month hangar rental increase will go out to tenants Monday. The board also discussed a renter who does not have proper insurance and registration on file and has not responded to letters and phone calls. They advised Phillips to attempt to make contact one more time before they consider taking further action.

•Approved the following: the purchase of a lawnmower from AMX Motorsports for $12,851.28; renting a barn from adjacent landowner Richard Schafer for storage of equipment during the winter at a rate of $500 per month.

•Heard the following from Tavzel during the airport manager’s report:

     —The airport sold 8,000 gallons of fuel for $37,995.33 in September. That’s up from 6,435.44 gallons in September 2022.

     —The airport’s Young Eagles event last month had more than 40 children ages 8 through 17 take free flights.

     —Three individuals recently made their first solo flights at the airport and Payton McCoy of Portland earned her commercial pilot’s license.

     —The Sonrise Aviation hangar that is currently under construction is expected to be complete in January. The board also approved spray foam insulation for the hangar at a cost of $10,606.67 from Jackson Spray Foam Insulation of Centerville.